The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-05-30
DOWN EAST FREIGHT.
Effect of the Interstate Commerce
Law on the Boston & Maine.
What Manager Tucker is Said TO
Have Done for Bangor Merchants.

General Freight Agent w. j. c. kenney,
of the Boston & Maine railroad, told a Bos-
ton Herald reporter Saturday that his lines
were carrying almost no freight to the towns
and cities on the Maine coast. 1.-THE week
before the interstate commerce bill went in
to effect" said he, ''our northern freight
house was filled with merchandise The
week after it was empty We couldn't I'M
der that law carry freight at our old rates to
Portland, Rockland, Bangor and the other
ports, unless we reduced the tariff to the
towns on this side to a ruinous figure. and
we have had to give it up and pocket the
loss. The Railroad Steam Packet Com
pany are carrying the Portland freight. The
Kennebec Steamboat Company take the stuff
that goes to Bath, Richmond, Gardiner. Hal
lowell and Augusta, The Boston g. Bangor
steamers take about all they can carry to
Bangor, and the new packet line of sailing
vessels does the rest. What are we going to
do about it? Well, we shall have to stand it
year, guess, and then we shall see if its
injustice won't induce Congress to repeal or
modify it in some way. How much sdoeS it
cost usp i don't know. A good many dol
lars, surely; our expenses are about the
same as they were before, and the receipts a
good deal less. We can't take eff a single
freight train, though we can run fewer cars
"How did you arrange it before the new
law was passed."
"Seven years ago the general freight
agents of this road, the Eastern, which was
then separately managed corporation, and
the Portland Packet Company, got together
and made out tariff which all were to stick
to. think the agreement was never broken
and we got along nicely under it. The Ban
gor steamers we couldn't seem to arrange
with and some lively cutting was done at
that place at times.
A visit to the freight house of the Portland
company showed fairly lively state of
things. One of the officers said the boats
were carrying rather more than their usual
freights, but not enough more to account in
whole for the falling off reported at the Bos-
ton Maine. Our boats run every. night,
said he, ''and we are pretty well loaded; but
then, they were pretty well loaded before the
railroad law was passed. We are now refus-
ing freight on account Of room. If it comes
In faster than before, we shall try to pack ii
little closer together" The Boston & Ban.
gor officials made somewhat similar state.
ment. Business is good with them, and were
it not for the new sailing vessel line, they
would be terribly pushed. Steamers carry
ing freight leave Boston for Bangor every
evening in the week, except Wednesday and
Saturday. After June 16 they will probably
depart nightly.
The Herald article then goes on to sketch
the particulars of the formation of the new
line of sailing vessels in Bangor, intended tC
run between that city and Boston. Twenty
five merchants are in the combination, ant
ten vessels are employed, whose captains
agreed to carry freight at certain rates, and
abide by the company's rules. Four of these
vessels were loaded and despatched last
week, and forty-eight hours is the average
run. The captains of coasters are also earn.
ing an honest penny by taking freight from
Boston TO Calais, Bath and Eastport.
A correspondent to the Sunday Globe from
Bangor says:
General Manager Payson Tucker of the
Maine Central has been in the city this weel
| ostensibly on tour of inspection over hi.
| road, but really to see what can be done Il
| appease some of the dissatisfaction which i.
| cropping out so strongly here over the hgl
| freight rates. Mr.. Tucker had interviews
| with all of our leading manufacturers ant
merchants, and as result nearly all of then
had a good, liberal reduction made on theil
freight charges. The general manager init.
| mated that the road would come back to it,
| old charges now very soon. Our merchants
| had been awaiting his first visit here since
| his Southern trip, with much interest," know
| ing that some such move as this would be
made. The Maine Central had to do ii, as
the packets and steamers are now carrying
all of the freight. and Manager Tucker's
clear head detected very quickly where the
leak was, and how it could be repaired. AL
the business men are thoroughly pleased
with the result of his few hours stay il
Bangor"